Living Car Free - How has BF influenced you?

I've been hanging around Bike Forums for almost 5 years and, from conversation here, I learned a lot and have changed quite a bit. Several things have really stuck:

- I've become obsessed with re-purposed or revived products. I often look to take basically junk items and turn them into useful. I spent Saturday morning hanging around the local bike co-op. I'm rebuilding a 40 year bike in my garage. Today I'm pondering how I can put a new cover on an old Italian bike saddle...

- I'm obsessed with doing more with less. If I can peddle to the grocery store, it seem insane to use more equipment (ie, a car...) to achieve the same end. This has affected other aspects of my life: I take navy rather than full showers; I hang my clothes outdoors to dry; I take camping vacations (getting there by bike...) ; I frown on my friends who drive when they can walk...

- I am convinced that there are many, many do-able things in this universe that most people think impossible. For me, it was the attitudes of people seeing a 50+ man cycling to work ... in the winter!

Ok... that's how the BF community has influenced me.

What about you?

Roody found me an organic farm within about 8 miles of my house that I didn't even know existed. Found out about the 100 mile diet (http://100milediet.org/). Continue to learn more about GHG and Oil Depletion.
I have always lived fairly frugally and have tried to minimize crass consumerism, but have really stepped up the pace on it in the past few years. We saw the real estate crash coming and were prepared to do what we needed to do, so far we have been fortunate and still have our jobs and income.

Aaron:)

I've been hanging around Bike Forums for almost 5 years and, from conversation here, I learned a lot and have changed quite a bit. Several things have really stuck:

...

-Ok... that's how the BF community has influenced me.

What about you?

I've subscribed for over a year. I was already a year round commuter and an occasional centurian, and previously a tourist back to the 1970's including a cross-country trip. Of most practical benefit, I have extended my cycling days by adopting riding in the rain prompted by several threads. I had previously completely avoided rain, so with this particularly wet summer I have maintained my miles. Secondly, I used studded tires for the first time this winter, so now I can ride virtually 365 days a year.

I have in the past mentally tried to catalogue all the other benefit that have acrued. For the most part they are also ways I have "HTFU'ed" and I have adopted that mantra as a self-prod to ride. I have picked up on several mental tricks to improve my cycling, partly in technique, and partly in attitude.

I was thinking mainly in the LCF section, but I hang out in Folding and C&V too. Picked up a couple of bikes from other members to help feed my vintage appetite. Learned even more about some obscure brands of bikes, bought a Twenty...

Aaron:)

I resurrected a Mikado that has collected dust and added a rack and side baskets. It's now my grocery-getter. I try as much as possible to leave my truck parked.

I now set a weekly goal to bike the 20km to work each day instead of using my pickup. I now find myself peddling home from work, then hopping onto my grocery-getter for errands. I figure I save about $7.50 per workday.

BF has helped me in choosing bikes and gear to help with my commute. BF has also helped me cope with some of the ordeals of bicycle commuting, and that a lot of bicycling incidents are pretty much universal with other cyclist commuters.

Bikeforums (and Living Car Free in particular) has had a huge influence on me.

Because of the car free and simple living stuff folks have talked about, I've reduced my expenses and reduced my possessions to a minimum, and can now live on less than a third of what I earn. I've gotten the encouragement I needed to stick to being car-free and find great neighborhood pastimes every day of the week that are convenient for the car-free.

And because of that, I've made the commitment to giving away $20,000 to cost-effective community projects in Haiti like this one (iti-hope.blogspot.com/2009/06/learning-through-participation-cabois.html) and, if I can, to raise another $20,000 in donations from other folks.

Ok... that's how the BF community has influenced me.

What about you?

I "met" Rowan here just before the Paris-Brest-Paris in 2003. We met in person on the PBP, then developed a relationship which started in 2005, and we were married August 24, 2008. :)



- I've become obsessed with re-purposed or revived products. I often look to take basically junk items and turn them into useful. I spent Saturday morning hanging around the local bike co-op. I'm rebuilding a 40 year bike in my garage. Today I'm pondering how I can put a new cover on an old Italian bike saddle...

- I'm obsessed with doing more with less. If I can peddle to the grocery store, it seem insane to use more equipment (ie, a car...) to achieve the same end. This has affected other aspects of my life: I take navy rather than full showers; I hang my clothes outdoors to dry; I take camping vacations (getting there by bike...) ; I frown on my friends who drive when they can walk...

- I am convinced that there are many, many do-able things in this universe that most people think impossible. For me, it was the attitudes of people seeing a 50+ man cycling to work ... in the winter!


-- Reusing products: The interior of our cabin is done in used fence palings to give it a rustic, log cabin sort of look. An acquaintence let us know that he had a whole pile of these fence palings available ... we went out there a couple weeks ago, and got a van-load of them, and Rowan has been putting them up on the walls. In addition to the rustic look, they also add to the brightness and warmth in here.

Here are a couple photos of the fence palings ...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3734716504_784bcf5676.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3462/3756937965_74ef06a295.jpg?v=0


-- Doing more with less: We live in a very small cabin, heated with a fireplace and are making progress on setting up a solar powered system for electricity. Our water is rainwater. We collect it in a 1000 litre tank and then pump it up to a 2000 litre tank when the 1000 litre tank gets full. We bathe about once a week because bathing uses so much water, and we collect extra rain-water (spill-over water) to do our wash. We've also rigged up a system where we use the rinse water in our wash for the washing part of the next load. And of course we hang dry the clothes ... a drier uses way too much power. We don't even have a fridge because it uses too much power.

-- As for doable things ... have a look at my website. :D


You can see some of the work we've done with our little cabin in this set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157619719051119/

I came to LCF as one of the selfish car-free. I worked out great for me. More money, more time, better health. Some of the things on LCF taught me how destructive the car-culture is. Now I take more time when people ask me about biking. I share the advantages with others rather than keeping the secret to myself. I still have that fear that if everyone knew how nice it is to live car free our government would increase its efforts to suppress car-free lifestyles.

I've been hanging around Bike Forums for almost 5 years and, from conversation here, I learned a lot and have changed quite a bit. Several things have really stuck:

- I've become obsessed with re-purposed or revived products. I often look to take basically junk items and turn them into useful. I spent Saturday morning hanging around the local bike co-op. I'm rebuilding a 40 year bike in my garage. Today I'm pondering how I can put a new cover on an old Italian bike saddle...

- I'm obsessed with doing more with less. If I can peddle to the grocery store, it seem insane to use more equipment (ie, a car...) to achieve the same end. (snip)

- I am convinced that there are many, many do-able things in this universe that most people think impossible. For me, it was the attitudes of people seeing a 50+ man cycling to work ... in the winter!

Ok... that's how the BF community has influenced me.

What about you?

Pretty much ditto for me!:thumb:

I've gotten a lot of benefit out of this forum. There has been a lot of practical advice on cycling and other lifestyle choices for better health, saving money, and being friendlier to the environment.

Right now I'm thinking a lot about how personal issues--especially health and finances--tie in with environmentalism. Cycling is one area where this relationship is very clear. So often, the cycling we do to improve our personal lives is also the best thing we can do for the environment. I love efficient win/win solutions like this!

The diversity of posters on this forum is a great blessing. I love reading how people with many political, cultural, and lifestyle differences think about the issues of carfree/carlight living. We have a lot of different reasons for doing what we do, but we also have some common ground on which we build our carlight/carfree structures.

But mostly...It is about the bike.

I've gotten the encouragement I needed to stick to being car-free and find great neighborhood pastimes every day of the week that are convenient for the car-free.

That's one great thing about this forum. The first autumn when I started commuting I recall thinking over and over , "You know... I could have biked today. It's cold, but nice and sunny. " I didn't see many people doing however. All the posts on LCF and Commuting about cold weather cycling really was the "tipping point" for me.



Right now I'm thinking a lot about how personal issues--especially health and finances--tie in with environmentalism. Cycling is one area where this relationship is very clear. So often, the cycling we do to improve our personal lives is also the best thing we can do for the environment. I love efficient win/win solutions like this!


There is so much "synchronicity" in these efforts. Cycling plays into so many aspects of sustainable living. It's so much extra work to drag all those groceries that you now have to really focus on what you are eating. It really starts you thinking in a new way... You health is better, your finances too.

There are so many "synchronous" efforts like this. The solution that reduces CO2 in the atmosphere is also the solution that reduces your dependence on unstable regimes that supply petroleum. It is also the solution that forces you to choose a healthy way of life. And so on...

Nothing quite so noble; after lurking for a loooong time, I decided to voice my newfound passion for advocacy -- and I found a group of folks with whom I can talk bike-stuff as much as I care to. I have ONE friend I can do that with in 'the real world'. All the rest politely wander off/interrupt/change the subject after about 45 seconds.........

I sold my car
lost 55#'s
Lowered my cholesteral 60+ points.
Met some new friends
There are more but those are the highlights

I have always lived fairly frugally and have tried to minimize crass consumerism, but have really stepped up the pace on it in the past few years. We saw the real estate crash coming and were prepared to do what we needed to do, so far we have been fortunate and still have our jobs and income.

Aaron:)

Probably the most life changing site was Paul Dorn's bicycle commuting information but Bike Forums simply reinforced my belief all along. After losing the car due to unemployment and high debt, my long term goal was to become a motorist again. This forum more than anything else made me car free for life.

Today, I refuse to be held hostage to a job miles from home with little or no public transportation options. Unlike others, I cannot bicycle 20 miles a day to a job and prefer to make use of a train or bus. I do admire those who can but the risks plus wear and tear on the body is why I choose to live close to transit.

Unlike Aaron, I did not see the real estate crash coming. I'm very concerned since we are losing jobs by the tens of thousands and with the recent push for national health care (even though I'm for it), it could break the bank and cause an economic tailspin! I don't see those manufacturing jobs coming back and most will be replaced by very low paying service sector jobs. I still have my job but I'm saving like crazy for the worse and not in the stock market either! If you don't know how to play the street, you should not be investing in it.

This forum has awoken my inner Hippie. I rarely drive my truck anymore it's either my motorcycle (50MPG) or my bicycle for commuting to work. The same goes for grocery shopping but by the end of the year I will have my favorite grocery store (Publix) open less than 1 mile from my front door. I am always talking to my coworkers about conservation and getting off their fat backsides and doing something good for them selves and the environment. If I can at 57 years old you sure as hell can at 37. I have met with much resistance but there have been some converts. One of the guys in facility and business services started riding because of me. He quit smoking, lost 45#'s and just finished his first MS150, he is hooked big time.

Probably the most life changing site was Paul Dorn's bicycle commuting information but Bike Forums simply reinforced my belief all along. After losing the car due to unemployment and high debt, my long term goal was to become a motorist again. This forum more than anything else made me car free for life.

Today, I refuse to be held hostage to a job miles from home with little or no public transportation options. Unlike others, I cannot bicycle 20 miles a day to a job and prefer to make use of a train or bus. I do admire those who can but the risks plus wear and tear on the body is why I choose to live close to transit.

Unlike Aaron, I did not see the real estate crash coming. I'm very concerned since we are losing jobs by the tens of thousands and with the recent push for national health care (even though I'm for it), it could break the bank and cause an economic tailspin! I don't see those manufacturing jobs coming back and most will be replaced by very low paying service sector jobs. I still have my job but I'm saving like crazy for the worse and not in the stock market either! If you don't know how to play the street, you should not be investing in it.

Unfortunately this has been going on for many years. I am probably more attuned to it than many people, having worked in manufacturing and working as a contractor at industrial sites. Also a large portion of my wife's side of the family were textile workers. We have watched the textile industry (and many others) be systematically dismantled and sold off in the name of lower prices and cheaper products. Even if we could start our plants up again the capital to purchase new equipment and get them started again is gone. We have substituted manufacturing jobs that paid average wages in the $18+ an hour range for retail and service jobs that pay ~$12 an hour. It is a race to the bottom and we are still heading downward.

Aaron:)

I'm very concerned since we are losing jobs by the tens of thousands and with the recent push for national health care (even though I'm for it), it could break the bank and cause an economic tailspin!

Gee, what makes the US so special of all the industrialized countries that we would go into an economic tailspin over health car while they continue to chug along? We have free market health care and a banking crisis while our neighbor Canada has more equitable health care and no banking crisis. I'm not an expert on banking or health care but it looks to me like equitable health care goes hand in hand with an economy less prone to "tailspins".

Most of my conversion to being car lite was self taught.. Making the ride more comfortable /safer has been helpful.. Converting to car lite.. Taking offense at the values and habits of my fellow motorists.. I think the work commute on the freeways, makes one borderline, crazy.

It has done wonders.

I started lurking here and in the Commuting section about 5 years ago. (maybe more?) Back then I was a social worker who had just returned from living in Central America and I was convinced that my wife and I should share a car. She was skeptical so I became the person who had to prove the project. I used my bike for a lot of things, but it was a beater that had no capacity to carry anything. Slowly, through the forums and many questions, I built up my repertoire of bicycle knowledge. I learned to ride in all conditions, and also became a bit of a beacon to my friends and family that showed that living a bicycle centric lifestyle was indeed possible.

Just as I was getting ready to go back to graduate school and become a counselor I applied for a random job as at Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit advocacy agency here in Colorado. I started working in schools, teaching bicycle safety and getting kids on bikes. I got promoted to the Director of Education and now our organization is hopping. Oddly enough, I have a baby on the way and for now we've decided to get a second car until we get through the first year or so.

That said, during all of these times, and all of these changes the bicycle became more and more a part of my life and the answers to my questions, the root of bicycle brotherhood, was found here in these forums.

Gee, what makes the US so special of all the industrialized countries that we would go into an economic tailspin over health car while they continue to chug along? We have free market health care and a banking crisis while our neighbor Canada has more equitable health care and no banking crisis. I'm not an expert on banking or health care but it looks to me like equitable health care goes hand in hand with an economy less prone to "tailspins".

We have higher taxes in Canada. And a slightly more left leaning government who is willing to put more controls on the banking system.

We are suffering in Canada as well, just not to the same degree as the US. The Canadian economy is very much tied to the American economy, the US is Canada's #1 trading partner.

In general, I've become a much better mechanic, and developed an appreciation for vintage bikes. Got inspired to try a solo tour and discovered that I'm lousy company :P. Been commuting pretty regularly since before BF.

LCF specifically had me give a shot toward being without a car for several months. It was fine, I did fine, my bike and local buses did what I wanted. With enough planning, it didn't really prevent me from doing stuff I wanted to. In the end though, owning a car was not breaking the bank for me (and yes, I understand the hidden costs involved and opportunity costs of spending that money on car related expenses) and the convenience was worthwhile for the times I wanted it. So I own a car again, paid for and with low insurance. I guess I've still learned some of the lessons people here would like. I've moved closer to work, to a walkable neighborhood, almost never need the car for day to day errands, but when I want it, I'm really glad to have it. Just more of a car light guy.

It has done wonders.

I started lurking here and in the Commuting section about 5 years ago. (maybe more?) Back then I was a social worker who had just returned from living in Central America and I was convinced that my wife and I should share a car. She was skeptical so I became the person who had to prove the project. I used my bike for a lot of things, but it was a beater that had no capacity to carry anything. Slowly, through the forums and many questions, I built up my repertoire of bicycle knowledge. I learned to ride in all conditions, and also became a bit of a beacon to my friends and family that showed that living a bicycle centric lifestyle was indeed possible.

Just as I was getting ready to go back to graduate school and become a counselor I applied for a random job as at Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit advocacy agency here in Colorado. I started working in schools, teaching bicycle safety and getting kids on bikes. I got promoted to the Director of Education and now our organization is hopping. Oddly enough, I have a baby on the way and for now we've decided to get a second car until we get through the first year or so.

That said, during all of these times, and all of these changes the bicycle became more and more a part of my life and the answers to my questions, the root of bicycle brotherhood, was found here in these forums.

I thought this was the LCF post-of-the-month until I got to the part about buying a second car.

But it is a very uplifting story and I hope you can eventually reduce your car footprint... or at least not get into a third car. :)

i've learned how bent people are
people are upset over their debt
upset that their cars are demanding time at their jobs to pay for them
that their houses are full of merchandise, which has come from hours of being at work
tons of credit card debt...

ad nauseam

god help us if retirement, and health care were pertinent to The Bicycle Lifestyle
(then again... maybe they are)

I thought this was the LCF post-of-the-month until I got to the part about buying a second car.

But it is a very uplifting story and I hope you can eventually reduce your car footprint... or at least not get into a third car. :)

Girv, Don't hate me. The second car pretty much sits in the driveway and was so inexpensive to keep that it almost rivals a bicycle. I want to be certain I'm comfortable doing most trips with my new little girl while my wife is at work (in the car) before we get rid of a car that costs so little to keep/maintain.

That said, I have a nagging guilt about the second car. I was so proud of where we were at and what having only one car permitted us to do that I'll be waiting for the moment I think it is feasible to return. (i.e. baby's neck strong enough for Xtracycle and bike trailer)

Thanks for the props on the other stuff though, I've come to know that the bicycle is indeed the greatest invention man ever created.

Probably the most life changing site was Paul Dorn's bicycle commuting information but Bike Forums simply reinforced my belief all along. After losing the car due to unemployment and high debt, my long term goal was to become a motorist again. This forum more than anything else made me car free for life.

Today, I refuse to be held hostage to a job miles from home with little or no public transportation options. Unlike others, I cannot bicycle 20 miles a day to a job and prefer to make use of a train or bus. I do admire those who can but the risks plus wear and tear on the body is why I choose to live close to transit.

Unlike Aaron, I did not see the real estate crash coming. I'm very concerned since we are losing jobs by the tens of thousands and with the recent push for national health care (even though I'm for it), it could break the bank and cause an economic tailspin! I don't see those manufacturing jobs coming back and most will be replaced by very low paying service sector jobs. I still have my job but I'm saving like crazy for the worse and not in the stock market either! If you don't know how to play the street, you should not be investing in it.

not that i know a whole lot about Jersey...
from my prior job in Pharmaceuticals, i do know that Jersey is home to "Big Pharma"
some years back Big Pharma started farming jobs overseas...
i can only imagine what/or how The Legislative Branch of Jersey, had anything to do with this...
(then again, i have a very limited view/education on the subject) <---- i assume its Billions of $ worth

i.e. google search "New Jersey and Big Pharma"

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/04/02/after-tax-breaks-big-pharma-lays-off-nj-workers/

Well I've been car-free all my life so I can't say it changed my life but it's nice to know that I'm not alone. As far as the rest of the forums, I don't cower in the gutter any more and now I take the lane. I've learned a lot from the C&V about my vintage bikes and that I like to advocate for biking from the A&S.

BF has made me a little more humble.
I used to be pretty self-righteous about commuting on my bicycle. But after reading the unending whining and hostility toward motorists in the Advocacy & Safety Forum, I've become more of a bicycling enthusiast than activist.
Honey makes a better attractant than vinegar, and all that.

Funny thing too: since that realization, motorists magically became more courteous and aware of my 'right to the road.'

BF has made me a little more humble.
I used to be pretty self-righteous about commuting on my bicycle. But after reading the unending whining and hostility toward motorists in the Advocacy & Safety Forum, I've become more of a bicycling enthusiast than activist.
Honey makes a better attractant than vinegar, and all that.

Funny thing too: since that realization, motorists magically became more courteous and aware of my 'right to the road.'

+1!! :D

Great post!!

BF has been informative and entertaining to me. I haven't been able to check in as much as I used to, because I haven't had my own internet connection since my girlfriend and I moved into an apartment, but I still check out the forums when I can. I mostly check out the LCF, Commuting, and recumbent sections, but I have lurked in other areas as well. I have been car free since April and have enjoyed it.

Shaggy

BF has made me a little more humble.
I used to be pretty self-righteous about commuting on my bicycle. But after reading the unending whining and hostility toward motorists in the Advocacy & Safety Forum, I've become more of a bicycling enthusiast than activist.
Honey makes a better attractant than vinegar, and all that.

Funny thing too: since that realization, motorists magically became more courteous and aware of my 'right to the road.'

I've become the exact opposite, I've learned to become more assertive when mixing it up with urban traffic, and my commutes have far less confusion in them now that I give a much stronger indication of what my intentions are, in may annoy a lot of motorists, but most will at least work with me. You cannot please everyone all the time regardless of whether you use honey or vinegar.

BF has been informative and entertaining to me. I haven't been able to check in as much as I used to, because I haven't had my own internet connection since my girlfriend and I moved into an apartment, but I still check out the forums when I can. I mostly check out the LCF, Commuting, and recumbent sections, but I have lurked in other areas as well. I have been car free since April and have enjoyed it.

Shaggy
shaggy, is your girlfriend also carfree? Do you live in an urban area? Are you able to get around w/o a car in the winter? You might want to check out the Winter Cycling subforum. It usually gets into motion in the Fall.... the first cold day... :)

I've learned how much people/bikers hate cars, i've learned how arrogant bikers can be, I've learned that i shouldnt live my life by some internet forum... ok well maybe i didnt learn that, they all come with some common sense.

All in all... you should just live your life and enjoy it!

Some of the people around here are fairly hardcore when it comes to simplicity and car-free living. I'm taking a more moderate approach, but moderation has been redefined in the past couple of years with a growing emphasis on cutting back on what I don't need.

Five years ago, before I came here, I started to clean out the clutter and get rid of stuff I didn't need. That was a liberating experience and I felt happier as a result. This summer, I'm in the process of getting rid of even more that I don't need. I don't have a lot, but there are some things around the house that could go. This part of simplicity is thanks in part to the example of some around here.

I'm not car-free nor do I expect to move to that state in the foreseeable future, but I am working to walk and cycle more and to use the car less. Last year I drove around 6,000 kilometres and about 80 to 90 per cent of my driving was work-related.

As I work to simplify my life, I find it has benefits beyond the physical changes it brings. There's a calmness, a contentment which comes from such a lifestyle.

shaggy, is your girlfriend also carfree? Do you live in an urban area? Are you able to get around w/o a car in the winter? You might want to check out the Winter Cycling subforum. It usually gets into motion in the Fall.... the first cold day... :)


Yes, she is also car free. She doesn't even have a driver's license. This will be our first winter without a car. I will be checking out the winter forum. We found an apartment that is in town, about a mile or so from work, and we usually walk or ride there. There is a kind of bus system in town, and its not the greatest, but it works when we have need of it...which is rare.

Shaggy